Boxing Ledger's Archives

Monday, September 19, 2011

New York, NY - (9/19/2011) - On Saturday, October 1st, DiBella Entertainment (DBE) will present "Noche de 'Marvilla': Martinez vs. Barker" featuring Middleweight Champion, Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26KO's), defending his WBC Diamond belt and Ring Championship against England's undefeated European Champion, "Dazzling" Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO's), at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. Opening up HBO's World Championship Boxing® telecast, will be top-rated middleweight contender, "Irish" Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO's) as he takes on former participant of "The Contender" and the only man to defeat Lee as a pro, Brian Vera (19-5, 12KO's), in a 10-round middleweight match-up. With a large contingent of Irish fans expected to be on hand to see Lee, promoter Lou DiBella has added fellow Irishmen Seanie Monaghan (8-0, 5KO's) and Kevin "Kid" Rooney (2-0, 1KO) to the undercard, giving the two undefeated fighters the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of the pro-Irish crowd.

Tickets for the show are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.

"I've been a huge fan of Andy ever since the first time I saw him fight. He's not only one of my favorite fighters, he's also Irish, which makes me proud," said Monaghan. "It's going to be a great atmosphere on October 1st with all the Irish fans in attendance. I expect Andy to win this fight and to one day very soon become the middleweight champion. I just hope that I will be there fighting on his undercard when it happens."

"Fighting on the undercard of a show that features Andy is a huge opportunity for any Irish fighter," stated Rooney. "In my previous fights, I was the only Irish fighter on the card, but now, not only is Seanie fighting on the card, but you also have Andy, who, in my eyes, is one of the top three or four middleweights in the world, fighting in the co-feature. I expect a huge turnout come October 1st and seeing all those Irish flags will definitely make for a very exciting atmosphere and give me extra motivation to put on another crowd-pleasing performance."

Monaghan has drawn large, boisterous crowds in each of his professional fights to date. His fight on October 1st will be his second in Atlantic City as a pro, and also the second time fighting underneath the aforementioned Lee. Monaghan fought on the undercard of Lee's most recent victory, a 10th-round TKO over Craig McEwan on HBO at Foxwoods this past March, winning a four-round unanimous decision.

For Rooney Jr., the son of famed trainer Kevin Rooney Sr., it will be his first fight under the DBE banner since being hired on as DiBella's Executive Assistant and Director of Public Relations in August.

"Noche De 'Maravilla': Martinez vs. Barker" is being presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Caesars Atlantic City, and is sponsored by Corona. The fight will be aired live on HBO's World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.

Tickets are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.

According to some critics, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. can be a dirty fighter at times during his bouts. After the outcome of Mayweather's fight with Ortiz, those same analysts are going to cite more examples to support that viewpoint.

On Saturday night at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (42-0, 26 KO's) made a successful return to the ring, dethroning "Vicious" Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO's) via fourth-round knockout to claim the WBC Welterweight title. Instead of silencing pessimists with another victory, Mayweather gave more ammunition to his enemies due to the fashion in which he won.

Mayweather opened the first round by unleashing sharp, lead right hands. Mayweather did what he said he was going to do; He stood his ground, and was the aggressor.

In round two, Mayweather peppered Ortiz with additional lead right hands in the first thirty seconds of the round. Then, he grimaced at Ortiz, mocking the 24-year-old titleholder. After that, Ortiz connected with a straight left-hand, and briefly trapped Mayweather in the corner.

Mayweather easily walked Ortiz down in the third round, landing countless right-hand punches at will.

Mayweather calmly kept control of the fight in round four, teeing off on Ortiz with multiple head shots. In the middle of the round, Ortiz landed a wide right hook with Mayweather leaning back against the ropes. As Mayweather continued to frustrate Ortiz with his stellar shoulder-roll defense, Ortiz intentionally lunged forward and head-butted Mayweather, cutting the boxing savant's lip. Referee Joe Cortez immediately deducted a point from Ortiz. Mayweather approached Ortiz, acting as if he was going to touch gloves in show of sportsmanship. Instead, Mayweather threw and landed a left hook when Ortiz' hands were down. Ortiz turned to Cortez expecting him to do something. However, it was Mayweather who did something; He landed another punch, a powerful, straight right-hand to Ortiz' face, sending the champion on the seat of his trunks. Cortez counted to ten, and Mayweather triumphed again at 2:59 of round four.

Clearly, Mayweather was within the rules. A fighter is told and expected to protect himself at all times during the course of a bout. The perception is going to be that Mayweather is unsportsmanlike, a villain who unfairly struck Ortiz despite being brutally head-butted. Two wrongs may not make a right. Then again, one fighter was not in the wrong at all. If Ortiz does not adhere to the instructions told to him by an official before a bout, it should not lead to Mayweather being criticized as unprofessional when he takes advantage of a situation totally within the guidelines of the sport. Is it really proper to label Mayweather as a deceitful fighter? You can bet Mayweather is going to take a lot of heat for his actions, but the finger-pointing this time is certainly unjust.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Hinckley, MN/New York, NY - (9/10/2011) - In the main event of this week's edition of Showtime's ShoBox: The New Generartion, held at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, Minnesota, fellow up and coming DiBella Entertainment prospects, Hector Sanchez and Vincent Arroyo engaged in a very entertaining ten round welterweight war .

The former Puerto Rican amateur star Sanchez a member of Team Puerto Rico Boxing, a group of fighters promoted by DiBella Entertainment, Gary Shaw Productions and Universal Promotions and Arroyo both had a lot to prove, and let it all hang out for the entire fight.

After a bit of a feeling out first round, which saw Arroyo suffer a cut over hit left eye from an accident clash of heads, action picked up in the second with Sanchez landing a number of clean, hard left hooks that rocked the smaller Arroyo.

Sanchez looked to boxed from the outside, measuring Arroyo with a long jab, while Arroyo looked to work his way inside and score with flurries to the body.

Both fighters exchanged big shots in a very good action round in both the fifth and sixth. Each time one of the fighters looked to be getting the edge, the other would answer back with a big shot.

A huge left hook by Arroyo hurt Sanchez bad midway through the eight and had Sanchez on very wobbly legs and in recovery mode for the remainder of the round. Sanchez looked to tie Arroyo up, while Arroyo chased his opponent around the ring looking to land that one big punch that would close the show. Arroyo was able to land a few more big shots, but Sanchez was able to survive the round.

In the 9th, Sanchez still seemed to be on unsteady legs from the beating his took the round before, but to his credit he was able to stay on his feet and land some punches of his own against the hard pressing Arroyo.

The 10th and final round saw great exchanges from both fighters, as neither wanted to leave the decision in the judge's hands.

In the end the judges awarded Arroyo's aggresive style, giving him a hard-fought and well deserved unanimous decision victory. Two of the judges scored the bout 98-92, with the third scoring it 96-94. With the win Arroyo improved to 12-1, 6KO's, while Sanchez' record drops to 19-2, 9KO's.

New York, NY - (9/9/2011) - The #1 middleweight in the world, and top three pound-for-pound fighter, Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez (47-2-2, 26KO's) is preparing for "Dazzling" Darren Barker (23-0, 14KO's) feverishly, respecting his foe's amateur pedigree and undefeated professional record and putting the final touches on another hard training camp with trainer Pablo Sarmiento and top sparring in Oxnard, CA. Martinez will be putting his WBC Middleweight Diamond belt and Ring championship on the line against the European Champion Barker, on Saturday, October 1st, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ. The show, entitled "Noche de 'Maravilla': Martinez vs. Barker" is being presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Matchroom Sport, and Caesars Atlantic City, and is sponsored by Corona. The long awaited rematch between Andy Lee and Brian Vera will open the telecast. The show will be aired live on HBO's World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.

"I have been training very hard and am expecting a tough fight out of Barker on October 1st," said Martinez. "Barker is coming here to the States undefeated and he intends to leave that way. I must be in top shape, both physically and mentally, to prevent that from happening. The fact that Barker is willing to step up and put his undefeated record on the line shows you that he has a lot of heart and that he is a true warrior, which isn't the case for all fighters."

Martinez went onto further comment on the current situation in the middleweight division, and lack of opponents willing to step up to face him, including current WBC belt holder, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

"I would love nothing more than to fight Chavez and take back sole possession of my WBC belt. Chavez is the one who has been afraid and continues to avoid the fight. He also seems to be an expert at pulling out of fights. If he can defeat Peter Manfredo, Chavez will fight me like the man his father was, or I will fight a worthier challenger for the WBC Middleweight belt that is rightfully mine."

Tickets for "Noche de 'Maravilla'" are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.

New York, NY - (9/9/2011) - On Saturday, October 1st, Andy Lee (26-1, 19KO's) will not only have the opportunity to erase the lone blemish on his otherwise perfect professional record, but also take yet another step toward fighting for a middleweight world championship, when he takes on former member of "The Contender: Season 3", Brian Vera (19-5, 12KO's). Lee-Vera II, which will air live on HBO's World Championship Boxing, is promoted by DiBella Entertainment and will be the main supporting bout of the evening to Sergio Martinez' WBC Middleweight Diamond Belt title defense against current undefeated, European Champion, Darren Barker. Lee-Vera II is scheduled for 10 rounds in the middleweight division.

Lee, who is rated as the WBA #2, WBO #2, and WBC #6 middleweight in the world, certainly didn't need to take the fight against the very dangerous, and WBO #11-rated Vera, who is just two fights removed from his upset decision victory over former junior middleweight world champion, Sergio Mora. But for Lee, who has strung together 11 consecutive wins since the 2008 loss to Vera, including seven by stoppage, the fight absolutely had to be made.

"I've wanted this rematch with Vera from the moment I lost to him," said Lee. "It means everything to me, to beat the man that beat me, to clear my name and set the record straight. I want to be champion of the world but I also want to look back on my career and know I rose to the challenge and beat the only man that has beaten me. The loss to Vera still weighs heavily on my mind and until I beat him, I will not be able to move on."

Lee has shown a lot of growth since the defeat, and he believes that it will show come fight night.

"In our first fight, I made quite a few mistakes. I was young and inexperienced as a pro fighter. Firstly, I over looked Vera, but he fought with intensity and a lot of determination. This time I am making no mistakes, I am doing everything in preparation for this fight. I am in great shape already and if I have to fight all 10 rounds at full pace I can do that."

Lee realizes the magnitude and importance of the fight both for his immediate and future plans in the sport of boxing.

"I want to prove I am the better fighter and that, in the first fight, Vera caught me at the right time. I give Vera his due. He deserved his victory in our first fight. He turned up in better shape and more focused than me. I know I'm the better fighter though and that I will prove it on October 1st. My focus is totally on Vera, but after I win, which I fully expect to do, I will watch the main event with an eye to fighting the winner. Martinez is rightly considered the best middleweight in the world and if he gets by Barker then that is the fight I want."

Lee-Vera II is being presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Caesars Atlantic City, and is sponsored by Corona. The show will be aired live on HBO's World Championship Boxing®, beginning at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT.

Tickets are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall box office.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

In the middle of the town square, in front of a packed house at City Hall in Wroclaw, Tomasz Adamek and Vitali Klitschko attended the final press conference held prior to their upcoming WBC Championship fight.

Michael Brill, General Manager Wroclaw Stadium: "Yesterday we had the first test event at Wroclaw Stadium. It's a beautiful stadium, it's gorgeous. There is no better place in the world I think to hold such an amazing fight. We will have everything fine-tuned for this Saturday. The fight has already sold more than 40,000 tickets; it will be broadcast in more than 120 countries with more than 500 million people watching it. It will change the history of big sporting events in Poland."

Tom Loeffler, K2 Promotions: "Tomasz Adamek is so well known in Poland. He's a warrior, he's shown his heart and he is very successful in the heavyweight division. In the last promotion that we did, when Vladimir unified the title against David Haye, the whole time on the K2 and Klitschko side we knew in our hearts that Tomasz was really more of a warrior than Haye. So I think that you'll see a great bout."

"Vitali is the type of fighter who just dominates the fight. Not only does he win fights, he wins rounds. We're really looking forward to this fight between these two great warriors for the WBC championship."

Kathy Duva, Main Events: "It is really a thrill to be back here in Wroclaw. I watched online, actually every day, and saw the stadium come up from the ground. We went there yesterday and saw it for ourselves. I just cannot wait to see what that place is going to look like and sound like with 42,000 people in there, because it hurt my ears last night when there were 8,000 people there. It's turned into a magnificent facility that people all over the world are going know about next week."

"This is the first ever event to be shown on pay per view in Poland. If you have Canal+, Polsat, UPC, TOYA, INEA, or Vectra, you'll be able to see Pay Per View. It'll be 40 PLN, so everybody get together and have a party! It's going to be an great event both in the arena and for everybody watching it on pay per view. Also it will also be shown in some movie theaters around Poland; the Multikino System will be showing it and the tickets are on sale now."

Vitali Klitschko: "Wroclaw is a great city. When I flew in I saw a great stadium, all ready, I saw it from the sky and it will be fine. Many have been worried, 'is the stadium going to be ready?' Don't worry, the main thing is the fighters and they are ready, the stadium is also. The preparation is done."

"I know Tomasz Adamek is the most difficult fighter. He is very fast, very good condition. This fight will not be easy for me and this is why the preparation was special. Why special? Because I have a special opponent and I have special surprises. The surprises you can see in the ring."

"I'm ready to fight Tomasz. Everybody watched the Vladimir - Haye fight. David Haye is the biggest talker; Tomasz Adamek is the strongest fighter. Behind my brother and me is Tomasz. Can Tomasz be #1 in the world? Let's see. I kind of like you Tomasz, maybe after this fight we can be friends, but on Saturday there will be no friendship between us. I am very proud have this belt, which many years ago Muhammad Ali, Lenox Lewis and many, many big fighters had and I never ever give this title to someone just for free. Tomasz, good luck trying to take this title away, I am ready to show my skills. This title is my title."

Tomasz Adamek: "I'm really glad to be in Wroclaw. I was ten and a half weeks in training. That was a time for preparation, now is a time for the fight. I'm in great shape after training with Roger (Bloodworth). I thank God for those weeks, it's a long time and I was able to stay healthy."

"I want to thank all my fans who purchased tickets & everyone that will purchase pay per view. We are showing not only Poland, but over 120 countries that this fight is a really big event."

"I'm ready for a big war with Vitali. I'm really ready to win this belt. I know it's not going to be easybecause it's never easy in the ring, but my spirits are high and I'm ready for it. I will do everything to keep the WBC title in Poland."

The WBC Heavyweight Championship battle featuring reigning WBC champion Vitali Klitschko, 42-2, 39 KO's and Tomasz Adamek, 44-1, 28 KO's, will be held Saturday, September 10th at the new Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw, Poland. Some exclusive VIP Tickets are still available at www.stadionwroclaw.pl

The fight will be shown live, Saturday, September 10, on HBO World Championship Boxing at 4:45pm ET, and will re-air on September 11, 12 and 13, check your local listings.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Biloxi, MS - (9/3/2011) - Earlier tonight, DiBella Entertainment in association with SES Boxing presented, Battle in Biloxi: Zaveck vs. Berto, which featured former WBC Welterweight Champion taking on IBF Champion, Jan Zaveck in the main event bout of the evening on HBO's Boxing After Dark at the Beau Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.

With both fighters having something to prove; Berto coming off the first loss of his professional career and Zaveck fighting for the first time in the U.S. and on first time on HBO; the two wasted little time in getting the action started, each coming out fast in the first and showing their willingness to exchange.

The action in the first was just a preview of what was to come as each round saw both fighters exchanged furious combinations. Both fighters took their turns pressing forward and fighting on the inside, with Berto looking to use a heavy body attack to open up Zaveck's peek-a-boo defense.

In the fifth, some swelling developed under Berto's eye, while Zaveck's face becam a complete mess, with nasty cuts and heavy swelling developing on both eyes. Between rounds, Zaveck's corner, realizing that Zaveck was unable to see, called a halt to the contest.

It was a very impressive showing for Berto, who improved to 28-1, 21KO's, picking up the IBF Welterweight Crown, while Zaveck, who showed he is a true force in the welterweight division, record falls to 30-2, 18KO's.

In the main supporting bout of the evening, 2008 U.S. Olympian, Gary Russell Jr. stayed perfect, improving to 18-0, 10KO's with a dominate eight round decision over Mexico's Leonilo Miranda. Russell's hand speed and combination punching were too much for Miranda, as he won by scores of 80-72, 80-72, 79-72 on all three judge's scorecards.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

New York, NY - (8/31/2011) - This Saturday night, former WBC Welterweight Champion, Andre Berto (27-1, 20KO's) will look to regain a version of the welterweight championship, and re-position himself back atop the elite of boxing world when he challenges current IBF Titlelist, Jan Zaveck. The show, entitled, Battle in Biloxi: is presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with SES Boxing and will be aired live on HBO's Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:45 PM ET/PT.

While the fight will feature a number of firsts for Zaveck, his first time fighting in the U.S. and first time fighting on HBO, it will also feature a first for Berto. It will be the first time Berto enters the ring as a professional coming off the heels of a loss in his last bout. That loss came in what many believe to be the leading candidate for the 2011 Fight of the Year", a close twelve round decision to Victor Ortiz this past April. While many people in Berto's shoes might have looked to take on an easier opponent in their first fight back, Berto went in the complete opposite direction.

"Almost every great fighter has losses on their record and they came back even stronger," said Berto. "I'm not trying to prove anything to the critics. My family and the real Berto fans out there have shown me tremendous support and love and they know what kind of fighter I am.

Berto admits that Zaveck is relatively unknown here in the states, but that doesn't mean he isn't a tough opponent. That being said, Berto is very confident he will leave the ring Saturday night as the new IBF Welterweight Champion.

"Like I've already said before, Jan Zaveck is a good fighter. He's a world champion for a reason. From what I have seen he has a good right hand and he likes to bang but he will also try to box a little bit. Whatever he brings to the table, I will make sure that I'm ready for it Saturday night."

A win on Saturday night not only puts Berto back in the driver seat but also moves him closer to the big fights he has been longing to secure, those being boxing's two biggest cash cows, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao.

"I've had a tremendous training camp. We switched things up a bit and went to California for this camp and I have been working Victor Conte. He's really been helping me with my nutrition and has taught me the importance of having rest days. In the past, we were very old school. It was always work as hard as you can every day. Now I feel great, better than I ever have before and I am ready to recapture a piece of the welterweight title Saturday night and show everyone that I am back."

Battle in Biloxi: Berto vs. Zaveck is presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with SES Boxing. The show will be aired live on HBO's Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:45 PM ET/PT.

Tickets, are priced at $150, $100, and $50, and are available online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the Beau Rivage Theatre box office.